Gembumps
by ShotgunStudios
Summary: What if R.L. Stine's famous monsters from his stories were actually based off of gems he's locked up for earth's defense? What if, For years, it was unknown to the crystal gems? But, what will happen when they discover this? What chaos will ensue when three of these powerful gems are released from their prisons? (Idea originally by itsaaudra)
1. Chapter 1

Gembumps as a whole is a concept created by a very amazing and talented person, with gifts in both writing and drawing. She's known as "itsaaudra" on this very site, and I really do recommend you read her work (Especially if you love Goosebumps)

Praise aside however, the idea of this alternate world, and the gem versions of the classic monsters belong to her. I simply wanted to develop the idea into a story.

However, R.L Stine, Hannah and all the other characters of the Goosebumps world belong to their rightful owner, R.L Stine, while the characters of Steven Universe belong to Rebecca Sugar. I own nothing but the story itself.

Please; This is my first story, and I tried my best (using grammar checks and thesaurus), however any advice is greatly appreciated through review.

* * *

The shelf that sat right behind the desk was filled to the brim with manuscripts, all locked with different gemstones where the keyholes normally resided. Alongside the spine was a thin, white sheet of paper with the titles written in ink.

The ventriloquist dummy resided on a nearby windowsill, staring with that mischievous, sinister grin on its carved, wooden face. A green agate gemstone stuck in its back, where its motor controls would normally go. Its glassy, blank, green eyes stared, giving it the feeling it was always staring. The painted red hair went quite well with his black suit, red plastic flower and bowtie.

While it all gave a very eerie atmosphere to the study, there were so many more scary secrets that were hidden in this small little house in Madison, Delaware, New York. Some so terrifying, that it would send true shivers up anyone's spine who discovered them- maybe even leave some people up at night. So, so many of them were hidden from the world- but they didn't make R.L Stine nervous at all. If anything, it made him feel more at peace when he typed.

"The night was dark..", read the famous writer; the author of the popular children's horror novels _Goosebumps_\- to himself. He thought over the words he just typed on his special typewriter; a smith corona model, that with its blue, oval cut gemstone on the right side, makes it unique from what other modern-day scribes use to create their manuscripts. He pulled the paper out and put a new one in, mumbling to himself.

"Dark was the night!" he said as he typed the new phrase on to blank piece of paper. He sat there thinking about what to type next when Hannah approached the doorway into his study, peaking in.

"Everything alright in here dad?" she politely asked, a kind, yet tired smile on her face.

"Dont worry, I'm fine Hannah. You better get ready for bed." he replied, turning around slightly to get a better look at her, with her long brown hair, which were currently resting down out of its normal ponytail, and blueish-gray eyes. The periwinkle-blue, smooth gemstone rested in her right palm as she held the door open, just enough to slip through slightly. She was still wearing her clothes from that day; her dark purple, striped, long sleeve shirt, jeans and tennis shoes.

"Alright dad. I'll see you in the morning." she responded, shutting the door behind her.

"Of course I'll see you in the morning, we go to the same school." he joked to himself, a gentle smile forming. He just started a teaching job at the local high school, which he just started letting Hannah attend. It was the first day for them both after all. He got out of the chair and approached the door, turning off the lights just before he shut the door behind him. In the aftermath, he needed just as much sleep, if not more than his daughter.

* * *

When the darkness swallowed the remaining light in the room and the door shut, leaving only one small glimmer remained.. the faint, blue glow from the gem on the keys soon started to click, as if an invisible force were typing.


	2. Chapter 2

"JAM BUDS FOREVER!" shouted Connie as she cut through the chest of the holo-pearl right in front of her with her sword while they were offguard, causing it to vanish instantaneously. Steven soon blocked an incoming attack from another holo-pearl with his shield. The two fought back to back, being so entwined in combat that it didn't take much time at all to finish off the last one that was summoned. Pearl, quite impressed in how the two have improved over years of fighting homeworld, soon summoned a few more and let the two brawl out one last round before returning to the temple.

After the fiasco of Spinel's invasion, Pearl thought it was a good idea for all the crystal gems, including herself, to keep up routine combat training. They never knew when another gem might disregard the diamonds new alliance with the group and attack earth. At the moment, it was Steven and Connie's turn, the two often fighting as a team due to how well they fought at the others side. Connie's intelligence and knowledge on sword-fighting, along with Steven's many abilities as a half-gem and shield made the duo very fearsome in tag-team combat.

Part of Connie's shoulder-length, dark hair was held back with a clip, her bangs moved a bit behind her ear as to aid in improving her sight. She wore her typical training outfit, the one she had obtained after her first few days of sword training, years ago. It was a purple, sleeveless fighting outfit with a v-necked top and a red bandanna around her waist. When she used that special sword of her's made by Bismuth, she looked almost unchanged over the years of change and growth that they all faced.

While Steven, in his salmon colored sandals, blue jeans, pink varsity jacket with white trims and black shirt, featuring its yellow star left him a very recognizable and new look. He rarely wore any other pair of clothes, just like how he had multiple pairs of the same red t-shirt when he was 13 and 14.

At last, the last holo-pearls were defeated. Pearl swiftly gave them a round of applause causing Steven to jokingly bow in her direction.

"That was marvelous, you two!" she shouted, wearing her poofy, cyan blazer, with its yellow star on the back, teal-blue top, indigo leggings and light pink ballet flats. Her sky-blue eyes seemed to beam with joy as she smiled. It was one of the few things that haven't changed, along with her ivory skin, slender, tall build, and her peach hair, which resembles a pixie-cut in the front, but led to a point in the back. Her oval, white, facetless gem still resided on her forehead, as it always did.

"It wasn't us who was marvelous its the teacher, for she's the one that taught us everything we know." replied Connie as she strapped the sword on to her back.

"You two have grown so much. I can't really take all the credit for that." Pearl motioned for the two to follow her as they went up the steps, beginning to exit the sky arena. "I wasn't sure initially if you two were ready, but..."

"Ready for what?" asked Steven, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms, and unlike the other two, then jumping off the platform and floating down to the warp pad instead of taking the stairs.

"Garnet foresaw something this morning, something that was going to happen somewhere called Madison." Pearl went on, stepping on top of the warp pad alongside the two teenagers. "You wouldn't happen to be aware of the city, would you?"

"Nope" said Steven, shrugging his shoulders.

"I think I have.. it's in New York, right? My dad said he had a job there one time, a bit before I was born." She didn't bring it up often, or her parents, but her father, Mr. Maheswaran, was still a private security guard.

Pearl solemnly nodded. "Me, Amethyst and Garnet have to check up on Little Homeworld. We were hoping you two could go in our place." The warp soon activated, a pale blue light shooting up off of the edges, causing the 3 to float ever so lightly.

* * *

When they landed on their feet and the light vanished, they were on the warp pad back in the temple. "Surely you two are responsible enough to go out-of-state, right?"

"I'm sure we'll be fine, Pearl. We may not have our drivers licences yet, but taking Lion would be faster anyway." Steven responded.

"Did Garnet happen to tell you about what kind of mission this would be?" asked Connie, as she stepped over and sat on the couch, placing her sword so it leaned on the wall close by. "After all, New York is at least a few states away from Delmarva. I didn't think anything even related to gem-kind happened outside of beach city."

When thinking about it, it was a fairly safe assumption on their part. From the Cluster, to the Diamonds and even to their recent attack from Spinel- things that could have affected the entire world, it was all staged in Beach city. Not only was it the home, of not just the crystal gems now, but for all they had known, every gem on earth through Little Homeworld. They never saw that the news had gone out across the US. The idea that gems, maybe even gems that were still corrupted and out of beach city, in somewhere as populated as New York, could be very disastrous.

"Not much.. something about it being similar to Lapis's old situation." replied Pearl. It was a ominious answer, due to how many "situations" Lapis had gone through. "You two better get going. After all, we don't know the exact measurement of danger, but we are aware its very dire."

"Alright. We'll see you later Pearl!" said Steven, as he waved goodbye and went out the screen door.

"Bye Pearl!" said Connie, soon following suit to Steven after grabbing her sword, the two going down the steps to find Lion, leaving Pearl to sigh to herself, silently wishing them luck.


	3. Chapter 3

"Now, If I were a lion, where would I be..?" Steven asked himself as he walked down the side of the beach, heading towards town, Connie striding at his side.

"Well, is there anyplace in town he enjoys? After all, I've never seen him leave the city on his own." Connie asked.

Steven silently thought to himself. He hasn't really thought about it until now, but Lion just seems to show up and leave when ever he wishes. He doesn't really know what kind of places he might enjoy in a city.

"I don't really know?... Maybe food will help us think? We might need some for the trip anyway." he soon suggested.

"Well.. Alright." Connie answered, as the two soon stopped at the Big Donut.

* * *

The first thing they saw was exactly who they were looking for. Steven's eyes widened in disbelief, while Connie held her hand up in front of her mouth to hide a forming smile.

"Lion, noooo-" complained Steven as he entered the Big Donut, with the male pink lion's face pressed against one of the display freezer's.

"...Have you ever considered the idea that maybe he likes those treats because he IS a lion?" asked Connie, an eyebrow raised, but a slight smirk showed on her face.

"That's no excuse! Hasn't lion ever realized they don't look anything like lions? Doesn't he know cookie cats were so much better?" Steven replied, now standing at lions side, his arms outstretched towards lion, as if he were showing off the pink mammal. Lion soon looked up and at Steven, as if pleading to get some.

"..Four donuts, please.. and two lion lickers." Connie said, turning her attention away from Lion and Steven and to the previous mayor Dewey, who was watching the ongoing scene with slight concern from behind the counter.

"Of course." He replied, grabbing out four donuts from under the counter and putting them in a white paper bag. He got out and got out 2 lion lickers from the freezer, the teenager and his pet moving out-of-the-way in the process. Steven reluctantly grabbed out a bit of money from his pocket and left it on the counter, not really wanting the frozen popsicle's, but getting them anyway.

"You can keep the change." Steven quickly added, knowing the $10 dollars may be a bit over charging price.

Bill Dewey soon smiled and nodded, putting the cash in the register. Steven soon waved farewell as he left the store, Connie soon pulling out a lion licker and using it to lure Lion outside in pursuit.

* * *

Connie placed the frozen treat back into the bag once the trio were out in the sun. She soon handed it to Steven, who gently put it into his mane, it glowing white slightly where he inserted his hand inside. When he retracted it, the bag was gone.

"Alright buddy, can you take us to Madison?" he asked. Lion seemed to move his head slightly, as if implying the two get on his back. Lion was always different from other animals, even outside of being brought back to life by Rose.. or, Pink Diamond. He seemed more sentient, having answered questions and in the past, just in his own way, and shown signs of emotions and personality. In the end, Steven knew Lion was always going to be at his side, just like everyone else he's befriended over the years. Steven soon climbed up, Connie soon following suit as the two have both done in the past, be it more commonly on their own.

Steven gently clung on to his mane, Connie wrapping her arms around his waist. Lion soon started running toward the water, running across it for a short period of time before he roared. His eyes turned pure white as a pink portal appeared in front of them, jumping through to the unknown.


	4. Chapter 4

"What the... What are you doing in my house?" Hannah asked, having just entered her father's study with a baseball bat, to find her new neighbor, Zach cooper holding one of the books from the shelf. He had his hand gripped on the ice-blue gem in the lock, as if about to pull it out. Another kid around the two's age was standing nearby in a grey suit, who looked slightly familiar to her.

"I wanted to make sure you weren't tied up somewhere in the house." he calmly replied.

"Why would I be tied up!?" she quickly retorted, unaware of the fact Zach had called the police on Stine earlier, after hearing her and her father fighting from across the street. "And who are you?" she asked, turning her attention to the other boy.

"Hi, I'm Champ." The boy in the suit said nervously as he politely offered her his hand, as if they didn't just break into her house. She reluctantly shook it, unsure what to think of the stranger. "W-we uh, go to the same school together..." he quickly added when he let go. _'That's why he looked so familiar'_ she thought to herself; she'd likely seen him around the hallways time to time the past few days. Though, how she had no clue how Zach knew him.

"Okk.. wait-" she soon turned back to Zach, seeing he was still holding the book. "You didn't take the gem out of there, did you?" she swiftly started to panic. In contrast to those two, she knew what happened when...

"No, it's still in there. But, why does it matter anyway? Who even puts a GEM in a LOCK on a BOOK of all things instead of a keyhole? Why would Mr. Shivers own so many of these anyway. Not to mention why their all labeled after _Goosebumps_ books." Champ seemed to shiver at the name, as if the mere mention brought it upon him.

"Look, just put it back on the shelf Zach-" she responded, a bit of fear showing in her voice, as if he were holding some dangerous weapon. However, she was swiftly cut off by Zach. "Not until I get an explanation, Hannah."

"Put it down, then you both get an explanation. Got it?" she said, a bit of a glare in her eyes. He soon slowly put the book down on the edge of the desk. Before Hannah could even put a word in, the book ended up falling on to the floor, the gem, having already been pulled out slightly then fell out of the lock. It immediately began to glow brightly, slightly levitating off the ground. The circular, hexagonal faceted gemstone's light soon expanded, forming a giant, wolf-like creature, with pure white hair extending down its back, covering its tail. The monster itself didn't seem to have eyes, and unlike other corrupted quartzes, didn't show any sign of horns on hits head. The gemstone itself merely rested in its chest. It was large enough to end up almost touching the ceiling on its 4 legs, as it started sniffing around in curiosity, not yet noticing the trio of teenagers.

"No one move, or make a sound.." Hannah whispered to the boys as she knelt down, trying to reach the book without being spotted. To the three's dismay, when Champ started backing up from fear, he bumped into one of the nearby drawers, knocking a lamp on to the floor. Immediately, it perked up and seemed to glare Champ, starting to grow in agitation. "Dangit.." she muttered through her teeth, which now formed into a sneer. The creature seemed to growl at Hannah, backing up from the book... as if it loathed it even more then anything else. As quick at lightning, it turned to face the wall behind it and leaped through the window.

* * *

Connie and Steven, still riding on top of Lion's back, soon ended up through the portal, sliding slightly on the concrete road and landing outside of someone's house. The two soon got off, Steven quickly grabbing out the bag from Lion's mane and getting out one of the Lion Lickers. It had melted a little, but Lion started tearing on the wrapper in his jaws, as soon as Steven handed the treat over.

"Thanks buddy. You stay here and rest." ordered Steven, even if he knew Lion wasn't listening.

"So, where do you think this 'thing' is?" asked Connie, looking around, trying to spot the possible situation Garnet foresaw. Steven merely shrugged his shoulders, his hands resting in his pockets. He felt something in his right pocket, but as he started to get a grip on it and bring it out, a giant corrupted gem, seemingly a Blue Quartz, jumped out of the side on one of the upper levels of the house right in front of them.

"You think that's..." Steven didn't even need to finish the question- he knew right then and there this was what they were meant to stop. He knew Connie thought the same thing just by her serious expression. She soon unsheathed her sword and nodded towards Steven, signaling him. He soon summoned his shield. It was time to go to action.


	5. Chapter 5

"My dad's going to kill me..." Hannah muttered to herself, as she swiftly picked up the book off the ground and started to leave the house.

"Wait, wait- where are you going?" Zach quickly said, as he began to follow, Champ nervously in pursuit so he didn't end up alone.

"Zach, I have to stop that thing." she soon replied, a little bit upset at him for letting it out to begin with, even if it was an accident. As soon as they stepped out on the lawn to find two teenagers, with weapons, and some weird pink lion gnawing at a frozen treat on the road.

"Who are you?" said both Hannah and Steven, both having not expected either of them.

"Steven..." Connie whispered to him as she latched on to his free arm, looking over at the chaos the blue quartz left behind cars with dents in their doors, a giant hole in the wall of the house, and even a few footprints in the concrete, leaving a trail. The two didn't have time for this, and they knew it.

Hannah just shook her head and started running off, following the footprints before Steven shouted. "Wait! Its to dangerous-" Hannah stopped in her track, turning to face him and cutting him off. "Oh yeah? I don't see YOU going after it, Mr. Shield guy!" she rasped. "I know the Abominable Snowman of Pasadena a lot better than you anyway!" she soon added. Steven flinched a little at the sudden outburst, unaware of her part in the situation. At the lack of response, she kept running, not knowing Steven and Connie soon followed in suit. After a few seconds, Zach soon ran after them. Champ, not wanting to be by himself in the dark of the night with the lion, soon followed as well.

* * *

It didn't take long for Hannah to find out the wolf-like monster was in the local ice rink. She went down the hall silently, not trying to startle the creäture if it happened to be nearby. She saw some scratch marks on the ice from the beasts claws when she finally reached the rink itself, but saw no sign of the corrupted gem. She clutched the book, but she needed to find a much better weapon, since she left her baseball bat behind. Just before she toke a step on to the frozen water, she felt a hand on her shoulder, swiftly turning around. She let out a quick, panicked scream as she stepped back, pointing the book at him in threat before she realized it was just the boy in the pink jacket, with the girl behind him.

"Who even are you two?" she asked him in confusion and rage after just being snuck up on.

"I'm Steven, and this is Connie. What's your name?" he politely asked her, his shield still summoned.

"..Hannah. Hannah Sti- Shivers... why are you here?" she soon questioned, beginning to interrogate him. She'd never seen him around before, and she was curious of how he had a shield, how the girl had a sword... and so, so many more thoughts swarmed her head. '_Did they somehow know about the Snowman of Pasadena? How would they know? Why did they have a lion?_ _Why was the lion pink? What is with their weapons?'_ were just a few of hundreds.

"We uh-" he turned to Connie quickly, then continued, "it's kind of a long story." he simply responded. How would he be able to explain to her that he's there because that their friend with future vision foresaw some corrupted quartz would start causing havoc, and that their here to poof it and have the diamonds uncorrupt it?

"...Are.. you here for..." she tilted her head towards the ice rink, implying that they were here the same thing. Steven simply nodded.

"Is it alright if I..?" he asked. When Hannah nodded in response, he moved a bit ahead of Hannah, his shield raised. "Me and Connie are going to take care of this... but, uh.." "What did you mean earlier when you called it a snowman?" Connie asked for Steven, looking over at her when she asked.

"Ill explain it later..." she simply replied. Steven nodded, as he started to step out on to the ice, Connie close behind. They kept both their weapons out as the three stepped into the middle of the ice rink.

"Hannah!" Zach soon called, now right where the three were before, Champ holding on to his arm in fear behind him. The two soon joined the three, making five teenagers in total. Just at that moment did a bit of candy soon fall... Zach knelt down, picking it up to examine it. "A _Skittle_?" he questioned, looking up... "MOVE!" He shouted, just as a vending machine fell from a shaft up above. Instead of moving away, Steven moved directly in the middle and summoned a pink bubble around the five, unsummoning his shield in the process, as a vending machine landed and slid off, the beast following in suit. It pawed at the bubble, trying to get off, but it swiftly shrank, leaving just enough room for the quintet inside. Then the bubble swiftly enlarged and popped, leaving the corrupted quartz blown away and sliding on the ice.

"Get back!" Steven yelled at the other three, as Connie ran up, using Steven's now re-summoned shield as a ramp of sorts, to jump up and slash at the gem while Steven threw his shield like a discus or boomerang, but the beast soon dodged the shield and smacked Connie aside, leaving her sliding on her side in pain and the shield gone. It growled at Hannah, seeing the book in its hand, backing up slightly in preparation for pounce. Once it leaped, Zach smacked it aside the best he could with a hockey stick, leaving it only slightly dazed as it slid slightly on its feet away.

Connie did her best to become stabilized, but it was hard for her to stand up again with the cold ice against her bare feet. Champ and Steven, seeing her struggling, both decided to help.

"Are you ok?" Zach asked, turning to Hannah. She nodded, but then her eyes became wide with fear. "LOOK OUT!" she shouted, as the beast jumped at the duo. This time though, Zach didn't get to hit him away before he fell over and... phased through Hannah? The book fell out of her hand at the attack, phasing through her as well as she closed her eyes in strain, the odd gem on her hand glowing faintly with her arms in an X above her chest. The monster in shock, soon slid across the ice alongside the book, but before it could get up, Connie slashed through it with her sword and caused it to poof, the light form vanishing as the quartz fell to the ground.

A man, now having joined the chaos, picked up the gem and book, putting the blue quartz inside the novel's lock. He put it under his arm and adjusted his square glasses, glancing over the scene. "Hannah.." he turned his attention towards his daughter, wearing his black buttoned collar shirt, with its dark purple ascot. He wore a matching pair of black pants and loafers, all of which gave him an intimidating appearance. She looked down in disappointment, as he sighed. "I suppose we owe you 4 an explanation" he said, a bit of disdain in his voice, especially towards Zach.


	6. Chapter 6

The teenagers nervously walked out of the Ice Rink, unsure of what to think of the adult leading them to his vehicle. Only Hannah knew how terrified to truly be of him. R.L Stine soon got comfortable in the front seat, Hannah silently claiming Shotgun. Zach always knew there was something up with '_Mr. Shivers_', but now he was absolutely sure he was involved in a larger part then he was letting on when it came to what happened to Hannah and the giant monster. He was just trying to figure out how.

In the end, the remaining 4 teenagers had to squeeze in the backseats, shoulder to shoulder with each other. Outside of the few questions from Champ to the out-of-towners, the ride was mostly quiet. That is, until Zach finally put the pieces together inside his head and spoke up.

"You real name isn't Mr. Shivers, is it? Your R.L Stine." he calmly stated. Champ's eyes widened in surprise, while Connie seemed to be lighting up inside; after all, if it were true, she would be in the car of a very important author. Steven, however, was very confused, having never heard of the author or any of his work.

"I don't know what you're talking about" the adult simply scoffed, keeping his eyes on the road. Zach wasn't going to let him off that easy, even with Hannah looking back with a pleading look in her eyes to keep off the subject.

"Yeah, I figured as much. His books aren't even that good anyway. The twists can be seen from a mile away, and there not even scary." he commented, ignoring Hannah waving her hands back and forth, trying to get him to stop. "I mean, like, stop trying to be Steven King!" he then added, smirking in pride when _'Mr. Shivers'_ slammed on the brakes in the middle of the road, turning to face him with pure rage in his expression. Champ and Hannah both seemed to be terrified, while Connie showed much more intrigue in the unfolding situation. Steven, above all, was filled with pure confusion on who R.L Stine and Steven King (who ironically shared his name) were.

"You listen here, Steven King WISHES he can write like I can, and 'predictable twists' and 'lack of fear' novels don't sell 4 million copies worldwide! He can't even write decent endings." he rasped, clear annoyance in his tone towards the teenager.

"So it's true?" Connie asked him, leading to an agitated sigh in response from the author.

"I'll explain it when we get back to the house." R.L Stine responded, as he started driving down the road again, ignoring Champ's soft fan-girling from the back seat.

* * *

After a few minutes of pure quiet, they parked up outside the house, letting the 4 teenagers in the back quickly get out and stretch their limbs in relief. R.L Stine and Hannah on the other hand, looked at each other silently with dread over what was about to occur. Neither wanted to end up moving AGAIN, especially after just having adjusted, but they would be interrogated by the police and other residents if they didn't. Suspicions would be to high if they remained in Madison now. However, they kept it to themselves. They didn't need the other four to know. Not yet, anyway. R.L Stine, ignoring the damage and surroundings.. all except one. He saw the ventriloquist dummy on the lawn, quickly picking it up and holding it in his arms, hiding the green gem with orange stripes on the back. It had fallen out back through the hole when the corrupted gem leaped through it. With the book and doll in his possession, he unlocked the door, entering first, letting the others follow behind him up to the now destroyed study.

He slowly put both possessions down on the edge of the desk, where the typewriter sat before it was knocked over among the chaos. He turned to face the group, adjusting his glasses. "Now, where to start..." the novelist mumbled to himself, at a volume where they could here.

"You can start by explaining how that thing just phased through Hannah like she was a ghost!" Zach stated, looking at Stine, demanding an answer with his gaze. While the author clearly wasn't fond of the boys tone, he knew he didn't have much of a choice.

"When I was growing up, I was forced indoors due to my allergies. I rarely had any friends... except a few. They... They weren't normal. They called themselves Gems. They had all these abilities..." He stopped himself for a moment, as he realized he was delving into a different topic. "But, one day, I meet Spirit Quartz." He blushed a little as he remembered the pale periwinkle gem, and their joyful smile and humor... the sparkle in their eyes and hair after they pulled a joke... oh, how he missed her. "After a while, Hannah was born... But... In order for that, s-she..." he stuttered, remembering the sacrifice of his love, and how it broke him from ever feeling such attachment for another person. "She had to give up her own form and life. Her very gem is in Hannah's palm, and she gained all of her abilities as a result. To summarize said abilities, its like that of a typical spirit; Intangability, Invisibility, Flight, and Possession." Zach seemed satisfied with that answer, after all; it matched up with what happened at the Ice Rink, and the fact Hannah said she never knew her mother when they snuck out to the abandoned amusement park the night before. 'A_mazing, to think it life in Madison was boring until tonight_' he thought to himself.

After a few seconds of silence, Champ spoke up. "I have dust allergies. I-I know what its like..." Despite the boys incompetence, R.L Stine silently appreciated the empathy the suited boy was trying to share.

"What about those gems- like the Blue Quartz in the book." Steven asked, leaving Stine to sigh.

"Most of them are what the Crystal Gems called 'corrupted gems', as I'm sure your aware." he stated matter-of-factly, seemingly recognizing the star on Steven's shirt. "After a few encounters, I learned of ways to trap them in the locks of my manuscripts, to prevent them from causing too much disarray and chaos." he continued, "In the end, a lot of them actually became muses of sorts for my _Goosebumps_ books, so I started labeling and nicknaming them off of what monster they inspired. The Blue Quartz was the Snowman of Pasadena, for example." R.L Stine toke a bit of pleasure from Champ's visible shiver at the mention of one of his well-known creations.

"...You mentioned these other gems before that you knew. Who were they?" Connie politely asked him. It lead to some slight pain visible in his eyes, as if it were a touch of salt added on an re-opened wound.

"...The one I remember the most is Zircon- who partly inspired my most famous monster, Slappy." he remorsefully replied, giving the impression he missed him.

"Oh, I'm so flattered, papa..." said an intimidating voice, one far more than Stine. The author seemed to tense up, true fear showing in his eyes, as if nothing else in the world could frighten him as much as that voice's source.

"No, no, it can't be..." Robert muttered to himself in pure denial. It COULDNT be. He was locked up, unless...  
Everyone in the study seemed to tense up as the chair behind the desk rolled around, to show a small figure, about the size of a ruby staring at them.


	7. Chapter 7

"How long has it been?" Zircon asked, sitting with his legs crossed in the chair, facing the group with his cold, black eyes. He actually looked a lot like the author physically, with his swoop of dark brown hair, despite his slightly light brown skin. He wore a brown suit, with what looked like a fake, light brown carnation and a slightly lighter colored bowtie, with a very pale brown collared shirt underneath. The suit's color perfectly matched with his dress pants and went nicely with his black shoes. "Years, perhaps? maybe DECADES?" he rasped, leaning forward and slamming his hands on the desk. The author to step back a little, causing the gem to grin wickedly with joy at his fright- his fear of HIM. With his height, attire and the lines going down his from the sides of his mouth to the bottom of his face, it made him look like a ventriloquist dummy. Its gem was similar to a hexagon or diamond on its side in shape, that was small in width but pretty long in length, and rested in the middle of his chin, like a chip off of wood.

"Not long enough..." Stine muttered, leading to Zircon's eyebrows pivoting downward in anger. He gazed upon the 5 teenagers behind the 50-year-old, a sinister sneer forming on his face.

"Who are your new 'friends', Papa?" the small gem asked, ignoring Stine's comment and emphasizing the word 'Papa', knowing how Robert loathed it after the two's _'Falling_ _out_'. Zach and Champ ended up taking a step back from him, as if they wanted nothing to do with Robert and this gem in front of them after they were noticed.

Steven however, seemed almost unfazed by this gem as he stepped forward, offering his hand to shake. Why should he be scared? He stared down the rulers of home world, Jasper, Spinel, and so many other threats and defeated them. That, and now he knew the situation pearl mentioned. They were locked up in those books, just like Lapis was stuck in the mirror for thousands of years. He had the idea that he could talk to Zircon, maybe even get him to be his friend, like he's done so many times before. "I'm Steven. The girl with the sword is Connie, the guy in the suit is Champ, the guy in the jacket is Zach, and the girl with the ponytail is-"

Zircon cut him off by slapping his hand away in disgust, surprising Steven. "I KNOW who SHE is." he replied, glaring down at Hannah, with her returning a glare to him... clearly the two have met before- and they weren't on good terms. The gem's light form seem to glow, becoming pure white for what seemed like a millisecond before vanishing completely from the spot. The lights flickered and dimmed temporarily, before returning to its regular state, revealing Zircon to now be standing on the corner of the desk to be eye level with Steven. He had the '_Abominable Snowman of Pasadena_' manuscript under his arm, while also holding the dummy's hand.

"So... Didja miss me, Papa? Did you regret locking me up, or are you still stubborn as the mule you are?" Zircon asked, tilting his head toward his 'father' in curiosity, having had to have thrown in a cruel joke in the mix. It was what he was 'known for' as that Slappy character, after all. Why deny how Stine wrote him- how he _saw_ him? How he _remembered_ him?

"Of course I missed you, you were my best friend..." Robert solemnly replied, as if he were speaking the truth, which he was. Zircon had always been there for him when he was growing up- when the bullies would pick on him for knowing such strange people, for always staying indoors, for just being who he was. He had even helped get payback on them a few times. He started to slowly reach around, in an attempt to grab Zircon's old prison; the '_Night of the Living Dummy_' manuscript, hoping Zircon wouldn't notice. "...But you and I both know you were getting out of hand. I had no choice." he then added, remembering how he had started to physically harm those other children, going further and further with his cruel pranks, blackmailing and framing. The response seemed to upset Zircon, as he gave Stine a cold stare.

"Your trying to put me back in- aren't you." the gem stated, noticing R.L Stine just about to grab hold of the manuscript. The author's nerves jump started, he looked back and tense, forcing out a very noticeably fake laugh. "Now why would I do that? We're best friends..." he simply stated, as if Zircon were telling a joke.

"...We aren't friends- Nor are we family. Not anymore. Not after what you did to me- to ALL of them!" he yelled, his arm in the direction of the shelf, implying all of the gems locked up in the other books. Strange, Zircon almost seemed enlightened by Stine's statement before he shouted, as if for a split second, he believed him. Zircon knew better though- this was a man who stabbed him in the back; no matter how much he wanted it to be how it was, it couldn't. Zircon wouldn't let himself be hurt by Stine again. "But I know when you're lying to me. Wanna know how? You ALWAYS are." he continued, letting his temper boil to the surface.

Zircon's form seemed to turn pure white again and vanish, causing the lights to flicker off entirely, leaving the only source of light in the room now the moon in the sky, its own light shining faintly through the giant hole in the wall. When Zircon re-appeared, he now held three gems and his old manuscript in his hands. He slipped the gemstones into one of his suit pockets, now holding the book up. "You wanna know something? This is going to be the best story ever written- but you're not the one in control this time! And here's a great twist; IM NOT GOING BACK IN THAT PRISION. ANY PRISION. _EVER. AGAIN." _The gem shouted, slamming the book on to the floor, causing the lock to break- leaving it no longer useable. The gem let out a crazy, maniacal laugh, that was almost as bad as nails on a chalkboard. He then jumped out of the hole in the wall, seemingly vanishing, like the times before, disappearing before he could hit the lawn below.

"Phew- he's gone." Champ stated, relieved.

"Oh no- he's gone." R.L Stine said, looking around the room to see what gems he toke... it was what he always feared; the thought that lingered in his worst nightmares.

"He had three gems on him when he left..." Connie remembered, then examining the novel that just recently gained its prisoner; once again, it was missing. "He toke the blue quartz, but I didn't recognize the other two."

R.L Stine picked up the Smith Corona Typewriter, which now lacked the blue gem on its side. "...He also toke Spinel's gem. Hannah-" he was cut off, since Hannah was already doing what he was going to ask her to do; check the ventriloquist dummy. It no longer had the green gem where its motor controls would go.

"Agate's missing as well..." Hannah stated, The author and his daughter looking at each other in fear.

"Who are Agate and Spinel?" Steven asked. He remembered his own encounters with Pink Diamond's best friend, Spinel, but he got a good idea they weren't the same gem as this one.

"They were also inspirations for my character, Slappy. Let's just say... their just as bad as Zircon. All three of them combined, on the other hand..." Stine didn't need to finish his sentence. They all got the premise. Unless they stopped them, Madison likely wouldn't be the only place in danger.


	8. Chapter 8

Zircon had managed to find himself about a block away from the Stine household when Blue Quartz finally started to glow and reform itself in his pocket. He swiftly toke it out and threw it on to the road. Before it hit the ground however, it's form started to take place, soon reforming fully, its first instinct being to growl at its releaser.

He released a soft exhale and slowly put his hand in the creature's fur. "I'm not going to hurt you. No one is- not on my watch." he simply stated. He wasn't aware of how sentient the corrupted gems could be, but he knew he could calm them down- some, like Blue Quartz even seem to recognize him after all of their devious plans of control after being released. He simply said that for good measure, as a way to try and prevent being attacked. "All I need is a ride out of town- far as you can make it. Then; come back and cause as much chaos as possible." He stated. The gem grunted, releasing a bit of cold steam from its mouth, then nodded. He soon teleported on to the wolf-creature's back, patting it softly as a signal. The beast soon ran off down the road, Zircon not limiting any damage it could make. The more they could slow Stine down, the better. All he needed now was Agate and Spinel to reform.

* * *

Stine was storming off to the car, infuriated with the unraveling events. The three gems HE feared most, and he wasn't easy to frighten, were on the loose going who knows there, planning to come back and release the other locked-up gems and recruit them for an army to destroy him and Madison, possibly more, all because some kids broke into their house and accidentally released the '_Abominable Snowman_'. While he planned to have a long, _long_ talk with Zach and Champ about breaking and entering, he had other things to worry about.

"So what will those 3 try and do?" Connie asked Stine, looking at him with concern. She merely wanted to try to form some kind of plan. But, she couldn't do that without knowing what the enemy's plan of action might be. It was like Pearl had told her once during training; 'Part of sword fighting was trying to predict the opponent's move and stop it before it strikes.'

"The other two shouldn't, if we're lucky, be reformed yet. However, Zircon's likely trying to gather a master plan and leave Madison with that Blue Quartz, then come back with more preparation. That's what I would do." He stated. While he could tell the others found it concerning he would compare himself to Zircon, Stine knew from the past times Zircon got released he did. That, or he went through with a full on release and takeover attempt right then and there.

"How far would they go? If they end up in Beach City..." Steven started, then looking down. If a gem as bad as Stine claimed, after having reluctantly explained to them what Zircon has done to other people, he didn't like the idea of him doing any of that stuff to the people and gems he cared about. However, Steven managed to reform gems that had done much worse. He knew the situation Zircon must have gone through thanks to his friend Lapis. He still believed he had a chance at befriending Zircon and changing his ways. In the end, he didn't

"In all honesty? I'm not sure how far he'd want to go." Stine replied, his arms crossed, with a solemn expression on his face. He two didn't enjoy the idea of Zircon harming anyone. After all, that's why he locked him up in the first place. He noticed Hannah patting Steven on the back in comfort, her having noticed how upset he appeared about the idea.

"...Steven, right?" Zach asked, wanting to make sure, getting a simple nod from Steven as a result. "How about you and Connie go back to Beach City. That way, if he makes his way there, you can stop him before he does anything to anyone there. Or maybe you can try to warn them, maybe even get their help." he suggested. Zach could tell the two were becoming a little bit homesick. After all, he was suffering from it himself, still missing his old home in New York.

"Alright... thanks Zach." Steven calmly responded to the acquaintance, glancing over at Connie. It was really late over here after all; who knows how late it might be back in Beach City. "Lionnnn..." he shouted, calling out for the pink feline. In the end, the revived mammal soon made his way over to the two, having managed to eat the Lion Licker, letting the two get on his back just before he warped off through his portals.

"Alright, Scaredy-Cat," said Hannah, looking back over at him, with a confident smirk on her face. "What do you think we should do here?"

"I'm glad you asked." replied Zach, with the same level of confidence. He had a slight plan forming, one that if done right, could work. "How many other gems have you caught over the years?"

* * *

It was about time that one of the two finally formed their body. Zircon had been waiting for one of the two gems to reform for about a quarter of the trip until Spinel's gem started to glow, resting as best as it could on the corrupted quartz's back without slipping off. The light from the gem began to form its body, which was about the size of Zircon's. When they finished, it revealed the gem had pale, sky blue eyes, blue skin, dark blue hair in a style similar to Zircon's, and a blue suit with matching blue pants, dark blue shoes, and a very light blue undershirt, with a periwinkle-blue bowtie and slightly darker flower. However, instead of a gem on his chin, he had the gem in his left palm, although he had the same lines going down his mouth in a similar fashion to a ventriloquist dummy's jaw that Zircon had, and even seemed to have 3 dark blue dots on both of his cheeks, which seemed like they were to represent freckles.

Spinel toke a moment to adjust his bowtie before looking over at Zircon with a cold, almost emotionless gaze. Then he finally spoke up, asking "You're the one who freed me from the typewriter?"

"What made you guess? The fact that we're both here out of our prisons?" Zircon replied sarcastically, achieving a silent glare as a result, before it turned into a slight smirk.

"That, and the fact I've heard you talking to Stine and those... _friends_ of his through the typewriter." Spinel responded calmly, before then asking, "Where are we going?"

"I heard there was a place with other gems on earth. Beach city, I think it's called." said Zircon, looking towards the hillside they were approaching. It would be a full night, but they would likely make it to their destination. "We could rest up, get a proper plan of attack set up... and then return to Madison for some real fun." he then added, which got a malevolent smile from the both of them. Vengeance would truly be sweet for all three of them, and that entire town wouldn't come out unscathed.


	9. Chapter 9

It didn't take long for Steven and Connie to end up back at the temple with Lion. After getting off and letting them get on their way, the two entered the temple to find Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl waiting for their arrival. Pearl and Garnet were sitting on the couch, with pearl starting to rant on with how much danger the arrivals could be, Garnet trying to comfort her, and Amethyst just eating a bag of chaaaps on the counter. Amethyst soon made a shushing motion with her finger towards the teenagers, not wanting them to spoil the fun she was having watching Pearl slowly go insane with worry. While the two do care for each other, she still enjoys it when Pearl does stuff like this.

"Pearl." Garnet calmly stated. "You don't need to worry. They've already returned." She added, a slight smile forming on her face, the fusion sitting there as composed as ever, like they predicted the two's return, which in retrospect, she probably did.

"Thank the stars!- It's been 3 hours, 58 minutes and..." Pearl paused, soon pulling out her phone, as if she were checking a timer, before continuing, "45 seconds." she said, pressing on the screen with her thumb, likely stopping the timer before putting it up in her jacket. "What toke you two so long? We've been getting worried."

"Uh, P, that's just you." Amethyst soon retorted, throwing a chip into the air and catching it in her mouth. "Steve-O can handle himself. So can Connie. They've handled a lot." she then added, proving her point.

"Amethyst, my concern's are still reasonable... even if the two have proved themselves strong and mature." Pearl soon stated, but then decided to change the topic. "If you two don't mind me asking, what kept you two out?"

"That's... what we need to talk about." Steven said, just before he began to explain what happened before, with Connie sometimes stepping in to bring up details he forgot to add in his recounting of that day's events.

* * *

"So that's what happened..." Pearl said, once it was all over. "Steven, if those gems come to beach city-"

"We can handle them." Garnet said, cutting Pearl off from what she was going to say. The last thing they needed was pessimism. They needed optimism that it wasn't going to end like that, and that it was all going to be fine. "We handled Spinel. We can handle them."

"Yeah! The Crystal Gems always find a way!" Amethyst then shouted, shoving a bunch of chaaaps into her mouth right after.

"Yes, but I've never heard of a type of Zircon that behave... or even look like that description. Especially assuming the two other gems are like that, It's a little odd" Pearl replied. It was true, Zircon's were lawyers, Spinel's were jesters, and Agate's were often managers or discipliners. From the two's descriptions however, neither of those gems really sounded like they could fit either designated occupation. If they were locked up for all that time, they were likely made in Era 1, so it couldn't be they all choose to be whatever they want and however they look... Were they overcooked? They did sound about Amethyst's height, but those were so much rarer back then.

"Yeah.. that is a bit strange." Connie then said, clearly agreeing with Pearl.

"Uhh, does it matter?" Amethyst then asked, turning the bag over only to release crumbs. she then crumbled up the bag up into a ball, beginning to throw it into the air slightly and catching it repeatedly.

"...What do you need us to do?" Garnet then asked, turning over to the two teenagers, having not gotten up.

"The best course of action, I think anyway is to try to keep an eye out for the next few days. We don't know how long, or if, their coming, but if they are, we need to be ready to take them down... even if they were trapped like Lapis, we can't let them hurt all those people." replied Steven.

"Maybe we can also ask gems from Little Homeworld to keep an eye out? They don't necessarily have to border the city and prepare for an attack, just report if they notice gems of that description." Connie said, then added, "I can go out and ask them before I go home. You 3 may want to also tell Peridot, Lapis and Bismuth. We may need all the help we can."

Pearl solemnly nodded. "Steven, you may want to get some sleep. It is pretty late. We'll take care of everything... Don't worry."

Steven let out a slight yawn before saying, "But I want to help. I NEED to help-" He temporarily silenced by Connie putting her hand on his shoulder, silently assuring him. He did need sleep. He was still part human, after all. "...Fine." He finished. After saying his farewells to the four and preparing for bed, he went upstairs... but he couldn't help but look over at the picture of Rose. His views of her had changed so much over a few years alone. He still didn't know how to really feel about his mom... But he couldn't worry about the past now. Not only was Beach City at possible risk, but he needed rest. He reached the top quickly, soon laying down in his bed, glad to be somewhere he could consider safe... consider home.

* * *

"This is a horrible plan." Stine bluntly stated, as he followed Hannah and Zach up to the attic, with Champ behind them, only about half as unsure as the author was.

"Do you have a better one?" Zach asked, looking down the steps at him once he reached the top, only to get no response. They had no ideas; it was reckless and dangerous as chasing after one of Stine's monsters, but they had no choice. To stop a monster, you needed monsters. It was either this plan, or wait around for them to return and cause havoc in Madison.

Hannah soon passed by them and reached into a box. It was like the many cardboard boxes up in the dark, dusty attic, but it had special objects in it. She slowly pulled out a manuscript, with a large, pure red, hexagonal gem with a hidden 6-sided facet going down the sides, and a smooth top and bottom. She laid the book on the floor, sitting down on her knees.

"Wally, we know you can hear us... we want to ask you a favor." she then stated, calmly waiting while the gem faintly glowed and projected what looked like a pale red, rectangular screen. The gem itself appeared a bit taller than Zircon had, however it was hard to tell through the holographic projection. His skin was only a slightly light red, a bit lighter than Ruby's, with pure red eyes and orangish-red, scruffy hair. He had lines going straight down from the edges of his mouth, just like Zircon or a ventriloquist dummy. Unlike Zircon however, he wore a blood-red, long sleeve, collared shirt, with pure-red lines going horizontally and vertically across, and 5 white buttons on the right. He also wore what resembled red denim jeans with rips on the kneecaps and brown shoes, with a matching colored undershirt. The gem stuck in the lock appeared to be his nose, which for sure gave him the biggest nose of any living thing.

"What the heck do you want?" he replied sharply, swiftly glaring at Hannah, a sneer forming on his face. "And it's not '_Wally_'. Its Pyrope."

"To say it simply, we want to grant you freedom... in return-" she said, before she was cut off.

"You humans always want something, don't you. You just LOVE using leverage against others to get your own sorry desires." he sharply stated, acting as if he's dealt with humans like that before.

"-for you catching Zircon, Agate and Spinel." she then continued, catching Pyrope's attention with the last name.

"_Spinel_? You let THAT idiot out?" he rasped, as if he hated that gem more then anything... and, in truth, he does. He hated Spinel even more than he did Stine... which made him a perfect candidate for this operation. They all remained silent for a minute as Pyrope considered the options... "Do I get to shatter him?"

"...ONLY if absolutely required. Otherwise, you just poof him and return him to us. Once he's returned... your free to do what you want." she replied. They had all agreed it would be better if they all (with the exception of Stine) toke turns talking to each of the gems.

"...Fine. I agree to your terms." he replied, the hologram soon fading out and returning to the gem, the glow fading. Hannah carefully pulled out the gem...


	10. Chapter 10

...and set it on the floor, just as it began to glow, light surrounding and forming, soon solidifying into the body from the hologram. Indeed, he was only a bit taller than Zircon, but something told Zach that Pyrope was to be feared more, as if he were a more malevolent, older force to be reckoned with. It was safe to assume he only agreed to the deal because he hated Spinel, and got his freedom in return. Nothing about his face showed that he was even enjoying his freedom. He looked almost dead set on getting the job done because he thought they could just lock him back up any minute.

"Well? Where is he?" Pyrope swiftly asked, still with a furious anger in his tone, as if he were a volcano and could erupt at any second into harsh words and fighting. He, for sure, didn't seem like the kind of person anyone would want to make upset... or, more upset than they already were.

"That's the thing. We don't know yet. We have a guess that he's leaving town, but... we have absolutely no clue where he's headed." Hannah calmly replied. It didn't seem to bother Pyrope all that much, if at all. In fact, Zach could've sworn he saw a slight smile form on the gem's face, as if he enjoyed the challenge. "Don't worry- your not going to be on your own for this either. We plan on getting 3 other gems out as well.. consider them your team."

Pyrope seemed to grow silent for a small period of time at the idea of a team, but then nodded. He wasn't very enthusiastic for the concept, but he knew it would make it easier to catch Spinel if he had assistance. "Who do you have in mind?" he asked.

* * *

Stine wisely kept his mouth shut when Hannah pulled out three other books. While the one with Pyrope in it was labeled '_Slappy's__ Nightmare_', these were labeled '_Bride of the Living Dummy_', '_Night of the Living Dummy_ 2' and '_Night of the Living Dummy 3_'. She firstly laid the first one on its own on said floor, letting Pyrope just sit down on the floor. This book had what looked like a pure, smooth, circular pink gem in its lock. "Zach, you might want to talk to this one." Hannah said as she got up. "For some reason, she's never really liked me." she then explained, answering what Zach was about to ask. He simply nodded and toke her place in front of the book, while Hannah rejoined Stine and Champ further back behind Pyrope. Champ still looked pretty unsure about this, but Stine merely kept composed and calm, as if his life depended on it, which it may have.

Zach just tapped on the gem once or twice, like one would a microphone before Pyrope sarcastically commented, "Are you stupid, or do you actually not realize us gems are still conscious when stuck in an object?"

The teen was thrown back a bit by it- but he did seem to have a point... tapping on the gem probably would only make them upset, if they really were conscious right now. "...Fair enough." he then said, letting the gem glow as a holographic screen formed, showing a gem with light pink skin, fluffy pink hair, pink eyes, and a slightly dull pink dress that went down to her kneecaps, with poofy shoulders and a dark pink belt. She also wore pink socks and what resembled dark pink ballet flats. Her arms and legs had faint, slightly darker pink stripes across them, like markings. She almost resembled a princess, with both aspects. The gem from the lock was shown in her chest, slightly covered by her own attire. The gem seemed to take a glance around her surroundings, almost disgusted by all the dust and mess that toke residence up there, but then she seemed to regain herself. "Yes? Who is it?" she then asked, like she was answering someone at the door.

"Uh... this is Zach Cooper?" he then replied. Pyrope seemed to raise an eyebrow at the name. He seemed to mumble something to himself about cougars, but Zach couldn't catch what exactly it was.

"...Never heard of you before. A new friend of Rob, I presume?" she then asked, causing Stine to sigh a bit. He didn't really like being called Rob. He preferred Stine, R.L, or even Bob or Robert. He knew she called him that just to cause a bit of spite. She was always sneaky that way- but also very clever. While Slappy could be a hot fire, easy to ignite, she was a cold one, much harder, but when it did light, it could be even more dangerous. She inspired such a dangerous character like Mary-Ellen for that reason, after all. That and... her _obsession_.

"We're not friends." he quickly stated. He still didn't feel right about that guy, even if he was helping him save Madison.

"...Rhonda." Stine then uttered. She was really a Rhodochrosite, but he'd always nicknamed her Rhonda, since it was easier to say and remember. That, and it suited her pretty well. Rhodochrosite could then be heard scoffing a little at Stine. She was fine with the name, however she had as big of a disliking of the author as every one of the gems he caught. Even the corrupted gems showed aggression towards him.

"We uh.. want to recruit you for a team to get back three gems. In return, you get freedom. Zircon, Spinel and uh... Agate-" he was cut off by the pink gem.

"Agate? Oh, my sweet lover? He's out there in the world all on his own?" she asked, blushing a little at his mention. Pyrope could be heard snickering a little, but the wooden floor under him could be seen producing faint smoke, as if it were about to burst into flames. Before Zach could point it out, Rhonda beat him to the punch. "Oh- dear, the wood beneath you is starting to burn." Pyrope's eyes seemed to widen a little, as if he wasn't even aware of it, but the smoke soon seemed to stop itself.

"That aside, of course I'll help, if it means returning my husband to the safety of my arms! You don't need to say another word." she then said, the hologram soon vanishing as Zach reflected the action of Hannah pulling the gem out and setting it on the floor, allowing it to reform into the exact form he saw in the projection. "Now, I recall you saying this was a team? Assuming me and Pyrope here are members, who are the others?"


	11. Chapter 11

The small, green gem sat by one of the trees beside the road to Beach City. She was currently using a blowtorch-like device to burn a drawing, a wielding mask resting over her face. She soon lifted it up, a wide smile on her face, "Aha! one of my best morps yet!", she soon exclaimed, taking the mask off and resting it at her side. Her light yellow hair was shaped to resemble a tetrahedron, her transparent, golden-yellow, butterfly shaped visors, which made her eye's appear a brown-gold color, but they revealed her forehead, and therefore the green triangular gemstone within it. She wore a sleeveless, bodysuit that covered her entire chest, with a yellow star on the top, a dark green section between her chest and leggings, which had dark green stars on the knees. She also wore pale yellow shoes. "Lapis! You have to see this!" she then exclaimed, proud with her newest piece of modern artwork, or 'meep morp.'

The blue gem known as Lapis Lazuli soon flew to Peridot's side, un-summoning her water wings once she landed. Her slim figure and cyan skin went well with the smooth, water droplet shaped gem on her back, and her chin-length, dark blue hair, which long bangs and fringe that covered her forehead, and her navy blue eyes. Her wardrobe consisted of her backless halter crop top that is blue on the top and dark blue on the bottom, resembling the top of a star. She also wore puffy, dark blue pants, resembling the second half of the star, being tied up with a bronze-gold ribbon and matching sandals.

"Wow, this looks really good Peridot." she said, smiling a little as she knelt to Peridot's level. it was a few small drawing burnt into the tree's trunk. One was the duo with a star in-between them, another was of pumpkin, and the last one was of Paulette, Pierre, and Percy from Camp Pining Hearts.

"I know! And its right out in the open, where everyone can admire it!" Peridot then responded, her smile still as wide as ever. The two, having been bored out of their minds keeping watch for those 3 gems from Madison, decided it might be fun if they worked on some welcoming meep morps for those entering the city. "Are you done with yours yet?" she asked, practically beaming.

"No, not yet. It just needs a few touches." Lapis then replied. "Have you spotted those three gems?" She then asked. After all, Peridot was much closer to the road than she had been. However, Peridot simply shook her head.

"I've even sent out my attack drones and robonoids to keep an eye out." she replied, picking up her tablet off the ground. "They haven't reported any sightings of them. I haven't gotten any message from Pearl saying they've seen them, either." she then added, a rather serious tone in her voice. Lapis calmly nodded. If anything, Lapis felt the most enraged about the concept of more gems being imprisoned, having been trapped in a mirror for thousands of years, and would not hesitate slapping that writer into space with a water fist if they meet, but she had to keep calm. After all, these were dangerous gems. They weren't mistaken for crystal gems and interrogated ruthlessly. They were trapped for the safety of the planet. That still didn't really justify it in her eyes, especially since they could have bubbled them instead, since Hannah was a half-gem. But she had to keep focus on the current situation.

"Ill see if I can spot them from above." Lapis then stated, summoning her water wings, just before they heard voices in the distance. They quieted down almost immediately, Lapis picking Peridot up, who was still holding her tablet, and flew up into a tree to get a better look... only to find the three gems on the road, talking to each other. They could barely make out some of the words...

* * *

It was about time Agate's gem started to glow. Spinel, who had carried it throughout the ride, just set it down in Blue Quartz's hair, letting them regenerate in-between Zircon and himself. He was about the two's height, and had a line going down both edges of his mouth, but his skin was a light green with even lighter eyes. His light orange hair was much more curled then the other two's, and he had skin-colored markings going over his left eye, one larger one up top reaching to the right, but stopping there, and the bottom one being a bit smaller, and ending in a point right under the left eye. His clothes were a lot like Spinel's and Zircon's, consisting of a dark green suit with an orange bowtie and lime green flower, and a very light green, collared undershirt, with very dark green shoes.

"Well, now this is a new situation." he jokingly stated with a mischievous smirk, stretching out his limbs a little. After an eye roll from Spinel and a punch in the arm in welcome from Zircon, the quartz stopped in its tracks.

"Finally!" exclaimed Zircon, as he climbed off of Blue Quartz, patting him on the side in approval and (veryyyy little) affection. Spinel soon slid down after him, Agate getting off last. "Now, off you go! Cause as much chaos as you can for Stine and those allies of his!" he ordered, causing a grunt from the corrupted gem before he ran off in the direction they rode in. Little did they know, they were being spied on.

"Won't we be needing it for a ride back?" Spinel then asked, raising an eyebrow, with his arms crossed.

"You really ought not to be so uptight. I have a plan." Zircon calmly stated.

"Now, what would that plan be?" Agate questioned, genuinely curious.

"...Why would I tell you? You can figure it out on your own, can't you?" Zircon replied, then adding as he went off into the direction of Beach City. "We have a city to infiltrate, anyway."


	12. Chapter 12

It was at that moment the two crystal gems decided to attack. They may not have had more time to report it to the other crystal gems, for they would have been gone by the time they arrived, or maybe even gone by the time they finished texting Pearl, since they told them that Zircon can seemingly disappear from one place and appear in another. This might have been their only opportunity to stop them. So what did they do? Peridot threw her tablet at Agate. Obviously.

To be more explicit, she flung her tablet down and used her ferrokinesis to direct it over to Agate... at least, before Spinel stretched his arm out towards it, making it stop in midair, as if some outside force were resisting.

"Peridot- why are you letting it just float there?" Lapis asked, a bit of panic showing in her voice.

"I'm not! Something's making it... fight.. back!" Peridot exclaimed, a bit of strain in her tone. At that moment, the Tablet seemed to fling itself to the left, its screen cracking as it landed face first on the concrete road.

"Zircon, we're under attack!" Spinel shouted as the brown gem turned around to see Agate and Spinel back up, when some water shot out of a nearby water-tower, forming a giant arm. As a result, the gem soon teleported back to the sides of his allies.

"Peridot, see if you can get the other crystal gems. I'll handle these three!" Lapis exclaimed as she flew up out of the tree, using her wings to stay in mid-air, having the giant water arm mimic her making a fist. Peridot soon jumped out of the tree, landing on her face before quickly getting up and running away to find the other gems.

"A Lapis Lazuli?" Spinel mumbled to himself, noticing the star-theme on their attire... then something clicked inside his head. As soon as the fist lowered itself to try to poof Zircon, He raised his arm up and it stopped itself in its tracks, although both wielder's were having difficulty resisting the other. "..a crystal gem.." he said to himself, pure distaste and disgust in his face. Zircon, soon grabbing Spinel's hand, teleported the two out from underneath them, soon re-appearing by Agate as the water fist slammed itself into nothing but concrete.

* * *

"Where are those crystal clods when you need them..." Peridot mumbled to herself, levitating a trashcan lid up and using it as a surfboard, riding off on top of it, hoping to herself it might give her enough speed to reach them in time.

* * *

Agate make a quick, nervous exhale, causing for a green, noxious gas to be released from his mouth. It seemed to swarm towards the closest thing to him it could possess; some nearby rocks. They swarmed on to each other, forming a bulky body out of pebbles and boulders. While it had no eyes, it seemed to have green, glowing lines going across its body. It slowly marched its way over beside the trio, towering over them, but only being around Lapis's height.

Lapis, getting over her shock, landed on the ground, returning the water back to the tower. She kept a bit of it out however, letting it swirl around her in a spiral-like fashion around her legs. While she hated doing this, she knew using her normal hydrokinesis abilities likely wouldn't do anything, since that Spinel can use his own form of telekinesis to resist anything she could do. She manipulated some of the water to her wings, the tips forming into fists. She let the rest spiral around her legs, however, in case she needed it to use something else with it.

Agate soon looked over to the rock monster, as it punched its palm as a threatening gesture. He backed up and let it stomp over to Lapis, leaving her to block an oncoming barrage of punches with her water arms.

"Animation powers, huh?" Zircon then asked, a bit wide-eyed. Agate simply nodded, with a prideful smirk on his face.

"It's a gift." he then responded, adjusting his bowtie. "Now, how about we get out of here?" he suggested, looking back over at the other two gems. Spinel however seemed to just stare at Lapis, who was now punching the rock monster away, letting the second pair of arms mimic her real ones. He snapped out of it when Agate waved his hand in front of his face, which resulted in said arm getting slapped away.

Zircon soon grabbed Spinel's hands, Agate grabbing the other one as Zircon reverted to a form of pure light, causing the other two to end up the same way. Lapis finally managed to finish off the monster, but just noticed them teleporting off as the noxious gas was released from the stone creature, fading away into the atmosphere. She sent the rest of the water back to the tower, letting the second pair of arms turn back into wings.

She soon flew up, thinking that she may be able to find them again from the air. She just hoped she could find them again before they harmed anyone.


	13. Chapter 13

Zircon, Spinel and Agate were all equally confused when they found themselves on some beach, with some large mountain behind them, a lighthouse on the top. Agate seemed a bit enamored by the water, as it washed over some of the sand, and then retracted in a continuous cycle. After all, neither of them had actually been to a beach before then. Although, something is off... When they reached to adjust their bowtie, they found light blue hands with pale yellow stripes across it instead of their normal palms... wait..._ they_? No, that's not right; their not a they. Theirs only one of each of... them. Then _they_ got a better look at themselves.

They noticed how their orange, straight hair faded into a dark blue, then a dark teal near the end, and a large part on the left ended up curling to the right, creating a bit of a bang-affect. They still had Agate's stripes across his face, and Spinel's freckles, only now they were a slightly dull yellow and orange. They also retained the lines going down the side of their mouths, and now had... no, no, that's not right. They _kept_ Zircon's gem on his chin, but now it was blue with a 2, thin yellow lines horizontally across it. When they looked at their right palm, they saw Spinel's gem have the same color and pattern on it. It was safe to assume Agate's gem on his back was the same way. They had 3 eyes' the right blue, the left green, and the one on top brown, representing all 3 gems that made up the being, only with black pupils now showing in their irises. One of the first things they saw was the fact they now had two pairs of arms; one coming off the shoulders, like normal, but one also coming out of their waist. He was wearing a dark, tealish-blue suit, with a simple orange bowtie with some tails off the end, a white undershirt, and three flower's of the three components colors slightly over layering each other. The suit had a tail coming off the end, which curled at the two tips, and had an orange inside. The suit seemed to have 6 spots on the bottom, in the order of green, blue and brown on both sides. They also seemed to wear dark blue pants and black shoes.

As all three gems began to panic in their head, they soon became light and unfused again, leaving all three of the counterparts sprawled against the sand, within a very close radius. Agate was the first to get up, patting and checking over himself in shock, then sighing in relief when he found he was himself again. Spinel was the second, who calmly just sat up, contemplating what just occurred. Zircon seemed more confused than anything. After all, he'd never imagined teleporting with another gem could cause an accidental fusion... although it did make a bit of sense, after he thought about it. His body became one with the light in the area when he did it, and then returned to normal in the area he desired to be. Since Spinel and Agate faced the same effect he had, it could be possible their light forms merged then they solidified, making them a fusion. Although... it could prove very useful, if used properly.

"Zircon... you owe us an explanation. Especially since the diamonds could have SHATTERED us for that!" Agate exclaimed, a bit ticked off that he, and Spinel, had no warning of that possible outcome before hand, but all three were unaware of the new arrangements the Crystal gems had made with Homeworld. Before Zircon could provide his theory, they could hear faint footsteps in the sand, slowly getting closer.

"I'll tell it later, right now, we're going to have to do it again. Someone's obviously coming, and we CANT be caught." he rasped to the two, in a hushed tone. They were all uncomfortable wit the idea, but they had no other real options, since running off could lead them into someone who knows of them, and remaining where they are could get them caught.

He soon grabbed onto their hands, teleporting again, however only a few feet away, letting the three fuse again, just how they were before. That's when they saw that boy in the pink jacket from Madison turn the corner... Steven, was it?

* * *

When Steven turned the corner, the last thing he expected was a 9 foot tall fusion. If anything, he was expecting lion chasing around some lizard or butterfly, or maybe some volleyball matches between the quartzes. Instead, he saw a tall, blue gem in a suit. He seemed pretty new to earth. '_Probably a new gem from Homeworld_' he thought to himself. Then he saw the gem on his chin, the suit, the flower, and the lines going down his chin. He recognized it all quickly. Zircon was apart of this fusion? It was safe to assume the other gems were Agate and Spinel, since they were the only two gems that Zircon had with him, and fusing with a corrupted gem like the Blue Quartz would cause a much more... abnormal and unstable result, as he saw years ago with Jasper and Ocean Jasper. He didn't call him out on his identity, however. He could use this chance to very well get to know all three of them, maybe even... befriend them, change their ways. To do that however, he had to avoid a possible attempt to escape or fight. He had to show him (or is it them?) that he can be trusted. He offered the gem his hand, causing visible confusion in them. It'd been so long since either of the three had actually witnessed an act of kindness, especially offered one. They slowly toke the hand, unsure of what to think for the moment.

"I'm Steven. Steven Universe... or Rose Quartz.. or Pink Diamond." He said as he introduced himself, shaking one of his hands. The gem's three eyes widened a bit at the revelation.

"...We're sorry, could you repeat that?" the fusion asked. They still weren't comfortable in this form, by any means, but if it meant self-preservation, they had to take the chance and work with it. They felt no need not to use pronouns meant for multiple life forms. They figured he wasn't stupid, and could recognize a fusion. '_Fusions were very..._ _infectious_..._ with the Crystal gems_', Spinel had told them through their thoughts.

He seemed almost... calm, as if the news didn't bother him. Agate and Spinel could tell, now that they shared the same head anyway, that it bothered him the most. Zircon and Agate were both pretty surprised at the revelation, but not as bad as Spinel. Agate was mostly stunned, but Zircon was confused with the revelation. He was the youngest of the three after all; he hadn't heard as much about either of the two as Agate and Spinel.

"...Oh. You haven't heard?..." He then asked. Made sense; they've all been locked up and probably haven't heard any of the news. But he had to keep the act together. He couldn't let them know he knew, or even imply it, or it'd be ruined. "Maybe its better if we sit down. A lot of gems didn't take it well at first." He then suggested, moving his hand in front of him. He soon led the way to the temple. If he can just figure out a way to keep the other gems from attacking on sight without revealing his knowledge...

* * *

Sorry for the longer wait on this chapter then the others. I had a slight case of writers block for a while. I'll try not to be as long when it comes to uploading chapters.  
I really do hope however your all enjoying this story, since I'm putting as much effort as I can into it.


	14. Chapter 14

It was then Champ's turn to tell one of the gems the plan. Thankfully, they choose him one of the nicer ones for him. After all, Stine claimed Dennis, a protagonist from Night of the Living Dummy 2, who defeated Slappy in the end, was based on this gem. He seemed pretty nice enough, with that child-like wonder, purity and personality that Stine described him with. He carefully put the book on the floor, then he began fidgeting with his tie a bit, releasing some of his nervous energy.

He watched as an orange hologram soon formed, showing the gem. He had dark orange, messy hair, which if Steven or Connie were there would have compared it a bit to Lapis's, light orange skin, with lines going down the sides of his mouth's just like the other's, (except 'Rhonda'). His attire consisted of a simple orange turtleneck sweater, which partly covered up the gem on his neck, dark orange pants, and even darker shoes. He had a slight gap in his teeth, giving him an even more youthful visage. The only thing really strange about them were the eyes, which behaved almost like googly eyes, one pupil going up a bit more than the other.

"Hi! What's your name?" The gem quickly asked as he waved his hand, so far giving the warmest greeting of the three recruits. Rhodochrosite sat in the back at Pyrope's side, eating a bit of chocolate Zach got her from the kitchen as a way to keep her 'entertained'. Pyrope just seemed to be reading the very manuscript he was trapped with out of boredom, like it was some form of magical spell book he was trying to master and became obsessed with. Stine had watched all of the interactions, praying to himself everything would go as Zach had planned, while the other two teenagers started making friendly conversation in the background about their lives... until the author stopped them, not fond of any form of relationship that may come from the neighbor's boy and his own daughter. Then the two just sat in awkward silence.

"Hi. my name's Champion." the teenager then politely stated.

"That's a good name. I'm Beryl. It really is great to meet you!" the orange gem said, giving off large amounts of joy. His voice sounded faintly like the character Goofy's, but also really did fit the image of a youthful being.

"It's nice to meet you two... s-so... uh... how do you feel?" Champ asked. He didn't want to just spring the idea on to the gem. He preferred trying to ease into it.

"Good, good... you?" Beryl then inquired.

"...well, outside of three gems having escaped, and the possibility of Madison being destroyed, I'm doing pretty good..." Champ stated out of fear of the impending situation. He really was terrified of the idea of his home being destroyed by beings he'd never even heard of until that day. Really, who wouldn't be?

"that's good- wait... what?" the gem questioned, caught off-guard by the boys statement.

"that's u-uh... actually why we um... have you ever heard of Zircon, Spinel or Agate?" the boy nervous asked, beginning to mess around with his suit once more. The last name seemed to make his blood run cold... if he had blood. (Would it be light for a gem? does it even matter? no? fine, fine. Jeez, no need to make a fuss.) "We're trying to get gems t-to come out of their books and help us... uh... get them back. In return they get freedom." he then explained, insuring Beryl fully knew of the situation.

"A-Agate?..." the gem stuttered out, tugging on his turtleneck a bit, turning back to see all the others behind him, which seemed to put him at ease, but not much. "I u-uh... shucks, I don't know..."

"...Are you scared of him?" Champ asked, noticing how Beryl was almost mirroring his own fiddling with his attire. Beryl simply nodded in response.

"I.. I'm not on good relations with him.." he then added, not wishing to go into much detail.

"...I'm scared two, if that helps." he stated, looking the gem in the eye, letting a bit of confidence build up inside.

"...Really?" the gem asked, calming down even further. Champ nodded.

"My parents... named me Champion out of high expectations. Th-their so... smart and athletic, barely scared of anything... I... I'm practically t-the opposite.. I've always been scared of so much of everything... but... mostly, I'm terrified of letting them down. " he vented, feeling as if he could practically share his entire life with this gem. Zach had no idea about any of that, and in a way, he could relate to Champ. His dad was a hero before he perished. He could never live up to that, just like Champ probably didn't feel he could live up to his parent's anticipations for him. Hannah was able to imagine how that felt, her dad being a famous author, but being a half-gem mostly secluded for her life made it tricky to be able to fully relate to Champ's feelings. Stine, however, felt almost ashamed that he thought the name was silly after hearing that... almost. Rhonda and Pyrope on the other hand, didn't seem all that affected.

"...I.. wouldn't know what that's like, but... from what I can tell, you're a great person." Beryl reassured. It was true. He really did seem to be a very nice person in Beryl's eyes, I'll be it he views everyone as nice... except Agate. "...This must be really important, if you're getting over your fears." he then added, smiling a little.

"I... I just don't want anything to happen to my friends." the teenager said, mustering up a bit of bravery. He was still scared out of his wits, yes, for what would we be without our comic relief, but he now had a reason to stay around and stay strong... friends. Friends that could be hurt if he didn't try to help. If he just... ran off and hid, like the coward he was.

"...I'll help, then. I don't want anyone to get hurt, either." Beryl said, then added "After all... I like you humans. Your able to be so unique from either, so nice, so creative... so different and.. so incredible..."

The hologram soon vanished, leaving Champ to pull the gem out and set it down. A slight smile found itself on his face as the gem glowed, forming an exact replica of the form in the holographic screen.

"So..." the gem turned around, examining the attic with a bit of curiosity. "...Is there anyone else that's coming to help us?" the gem asked, having already seen Rhodochrosite and Pyrope.

"J-Just one more" Champ said, looking over at the last manuscript at his side...


	15. Chapter 15

While under normal circumstances, it would have been Robert's turn to ask the gem to join them as an ally, they all knew it would be a bad idea. He was the reason they were all locked up after all, which would likely cause a grudge to show itself if he spoke to them, which... well, I think you all know. That didn't mean no one was surprised when Pyrope, of all gem's offered to do it. They may have expected it from Beryl or even Rhonda, but never in any of their lives would they have thought he would 'give it a whirl'.

Pyrope soon grabbed the last manuscript that was chosen for the mission, seeing a purple gem with a hexagonal facet in the lock. He just set it on the floor, gaining a serious expression.

"Iolite." he then, in a serious tone, said "We have a deal for you. I'm sure you've heard what it is." He was sure on that. After all, he was able to hear and was fully aware of everything going on around him before he was released. His condition was no different. Maybe with Beryl and Rhonda, they merely weren't paying attention to the situation until their turn came around, but he had heard of Iolite before. He had inspired the character Rocky, although the interpretation from the TV series was much more accurate to how he was then the novels... or maybe he based his current appearance based off of the TV show... who knows, really?

It was then a light purple holographic screen formed out of the gemstone. For reasons unknown to even I, he gave off the feeling of an old man, despite the fact little age showed in his pale purple face and eyes, with his rich dark purple hair. He, like so many of the other gems they had encountered so far that night, had lines going down the side of his mouth, like a ventriloquist dummy. His gem resided in his forehead, but it was covered up partly due to his dull purple fedora, which had light lavender stripes horizontally going down it and a very pale lavender band going around the base, which matched his open pinstripe suit and pants perfectly. He wore a light purple tie, with lighter purple stripes going vertically across it, and a purple collared undershirt so light it could have been mistaken for white. He had a dark purple belt and shoes on as well, all the spiffy clothing giving him a gangster or mafia-member atmosphere.

The purple gem soon nodded his head, a solemn look on his face. "Yeah, I have." he said, a gruff voice with a faint Bostonian accent coming out of his mouth. "Freedom for getting back at those Slappy fellas. Right?" he then asked, just making sure he got it correct. Pyrope soon nodded. Neither of them were taking the situation lightly; they knew the dangers and risks, but they also knew it would be worth it in the end. For Pyrope, he was in it for vengeance. For Iolite however, he's in it just for the freedom. He has no interest, let alone any desire in going after any of those three... especially Agate, after their _last encounter_. That, and someone needed to keep this group on track and keep them persevering. Be a voice of reason in the quartet, in simple terms. That... and he felt a bit responsible for Beryl.

"I'm in. Just make sure I don't regret it." he than said, closing the hologram. Pyrope pulled the gem out of the lock, setting it on the floor as the gem glowed. He shot the others a prideful look, having gotten them to accept much quicker than anyone else. Little sparks of heat showed in the floor, but thankfully, it didn't cause any sort of fire. Soon, Iolite's body formed, being a perfect match to the one that showed in the hologram. The group was then complete, and ready for whatever action came their way... hopefully.

* * *

It hadn't taken them long to start discussing their plan of attack in the study. Stine soon reluctantly began scanning over the many books contained in the shelf, picking out one in particular. Idocrase... at least, that's what he figured after doing extensive research. It'd been a long time since he'd looked at the lime green, upside-down teardrop gem, with its matching facet, inside the lock. It was the riskiest move he'd make so far, but they had no other real options. They'd never be able to catch up with those rogues in time without some of transportation, and the car wouldn't have room for all seven of them. It's not like those four can take the car on their own... probably. If they walked, it may already be too late, especially since they don't know the three's exact location.

They made it to... wherever they were now (likely, anyway) on a corrupted gem... they needed to do the same. Of all the options, Idocrase was the most tame one. He just had to hope they could make them listen.


	16. Chapter 16

An idea finally hit him when he reached the first steps of the beach house. If he could just tell the gems beforehand without... what should he call them? He'll have to ask later. That, and he had a lot of questions for them, once they felt ok to reveal their identities. But, he had to focus on the present, not the future.

He stopped and let go of them at the first step. He soon turned around and said, "I better go tell the other gems your here. We wouldn't want them to surprised." It was partly the truth. He didn't want them starting to poof the fusion on sight out of shock. They were pretty suspicious at first, but it seemed reasonable enough, so they just nodded. They couldn't help but notice the crystal-domed conservatory and, especially, the two flags. It looked like one was meant to represent Homeworld, while the other represented earth, but... why? If this was the base of the crystal gems like Spinel said in their head, then... why a flag for Homeworld? The very planet and gems they were rebelling against? A flag for earth made sense; they were fighting for the planet and its life, but... Homeworld? They were going to have to ask that Steven about it when he came out... and a lot more questions, like what that Pink Diamond comment was about. It would have to wait though.

* * *

Steven soon opened the door, looking down to see them staring at the flags. He smiled a little, then went inside, where it became a nervous grin as he stared up Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet listening to, what appeared to be, a very panicky Peridot with a trashcan lid at her side.

"And then, I had to come here, and we have to go, NOW-" the green gem soon stated, pointing her finger at the door, only turning to see Steven. "Ah, Steven, you won't believe this! THEIR HERE! IN BEACH CITY!" she shouted, waving her arms in a bit of a nervous meltdown. Her, and the other gems for that matter, acquired a look of confusion when he let out a slight chuckle.

"Yeah.. their here..." he then said, causing Peridot's eyes to widen.

"THEIR HERE!?" she then yelled. She had seen them, and she had a right to be afraid, knowing how easily that Spinel stopped her. What if Lapis had been poofed by now- or cracked, or... worse. The chances were slim. After all, Lapis was one of the most powerful gems she knew, which said something because she knew quite a few gems now, but that didn't cure her anxiety. There was still _a_ chance, after all.

"Yeahhh... BUT-" he said just as the gems started summoning their weapons (with Peridot making the trash can lid levitate), cutting them off. "-They don't know that we know."

"Steven, uh... how would they NOT know?" Amethyst then asked, with Pearl adding "If your planning on letting them stay here, it'll be risky.. you know that." The 4 all knew Steven well, and how he'd always see the good in others. But they had to keep in mind how dangerous those gems are, and how letting them even enter the temple would put them all in danger.

"You'll see, Amethyst, and... yeah, Pearl, I know." the teenager then answered, "but we can't let them find out. So just... act natural. Alright?" he pleaded. He truly believed, with all his being, that he could get this to work; he just had to try his hardest.

The gems reluctantly agreed, except Garnet, who despite her silence, seemed to be the most fond of the plan. Maybe it had to do with her relatively high expectations of Steven, or her future vision. Again, who knows? After all, those three ruby-red, sapphire-blue and reddish-violet eyes of hers are always hidden behind that yellow, top-of-a-star shaped visor. But people could still see that smile of confidence and hope on her magenta face, surrounded by that deep-violet, cube shaped afro.

It was at that moment three knocks were heard on the door.


	17. Chapter 17

Steven made a simple motion with his hands, to tell them to be quiet, while he got the door. I wont lie for him, so I will say that he was just as nervous as everyone else. I also won't fib and say he had no second thoughts on the idea, or that he fully believed it could work. But the chance that it COULD work, that he COULD make them their friend was enough for him to try.

His first power wasn't just to change. It was also to befriend. It toke Spinel's invasion to remind him that, since the belief he was finally done with dealing enemies and going on adventures, and having a 'happily ever after' made him forget. There's always people hurting around the corner, who lash out and get upset, or may not enjoy the idea of Era 3, who just need someone to be there for them.

However that didn't mean he didn't have to keep reminding himself to keep his guard up. He needed this to work if he was going to be this gem's friend. But he still couldn't forget what that novelist told him... yet, he had to stay strong.

Needless to say, everyone in the temple (except Steven) were about as shocked to see the fusion as a person would be if they were struck by lightning. They could tell after all; according to Agate, he _was_ struck by lightning once... for reasons he refused to share to the other two.

"Wow... Steven, you never said he was a dapper man in a suit." Amethyst then said with a nervous smile on her face, clearly trying to bring humor and lighten the awkward situation underway. The fusion, which could be identified easily by the gems as an Apatite, just raised an eyebrow at this. They had no idea if that comment was a compliment or an insult, but they let it slide in case.

"It's... _wonderful_ to meet you all..." the fusion then said as he politely waved one of his hands, the other pair behind his back, crossing their fingers in a silent prayer that their fooling the rebellion. However, some obvious strain could be detected at the word 'wonderful'. Why should they show these gems any respect, if not for the fact they had to keep up the false façade? These gems went out of their way to disrespect the diamonds, so it's not as if they would treat them the same way. Which, would lead to either them being shattered like Pink (who they still needed to ask about) or insults and never-ending fighting.

"It's nice to meet you two." replied Pearl, resulting in a simple nod from Peridot and the comment "Yeah, welcome to Earth!" from Amethyst was soon added.

Garnet however, said something else. "I hope you three are a wonderful experience." She had said it with such sincerity in her voice, it was hard not to view it as a compliment, despite the lack of knowledge on the sentence's meaning. She really had meant it, after all. Any fusion should be stable and happy with being alive- being themselves- just as Ruby and Sapphire form the perma-fusion Garnet out of love. In their eyes, Apatite should be no exception.

Apatite was caught off-guard quickly by the comment, which was easy to recognize by him slightly flinching. '_Experience_?_ What in stars name is that meant to mean?'_ Agate had questioned to the other two. However, neither of them could quite give a proper answer. They hid their confusion, however, and merely gave a slow nod through their now-one head.

An uncomfortable silence soon enveloped the beach house as easily as a spell could be casted, once no one had anything else to say. No one really knew what exactly to say, thanks to the unusual situation each of them was being put under.

Then, it was Peridot to have rescued them from the deafening lack of noise by speaking up, saying "Steven, shouldn't you be showing them Little Homeschool?"

Of course she was right. Little Homeschool might be the best way for Apatite (or as the other gems truly viewed it, the three rogue gems from Madison) to get to know other gems, and learn about how much Earth and Homeworld have changed over the years of them being locked up. That, and it would be a nice way to keep an eye on them without raising much suspicion. However, that was more of a key to rehabilitation then reformation. For a friendship to form, he needed to get to know the gem and what made them how they are in the present time. And for that, he needed to be closer to them then he could be just teaching them basic living necessities in the modern time. Yet, it would still be a good idea to at least give the gem a tour of Beach City.

"Thanks for reminding me, Peridot." Steven then responded, looking over at the light blue fusion, who was still standing in the doorway and had begun fidgeting with the multi-colored flowers on his suit. The fusion was still adjusting to this new form, but they had to stay together if they wanted their plan to succeed.

Catching the cue, they stepped back and let Steven step back through the door and onto the patio. The half-gem waved goodbye to his friends, who waved in return despite their internal doubts as the two walked down the stairway and on to the sand. They all had faith in Rose's son, of course. After all, this was the boy who purified the diamonds of their grief over Pink with the revelation of him being her descendant, the boy who healed all the corrupted gems, allies and foes alike from the war, the boy who helped Spinel find love again, and so, so much more. But each act of kindness had been achieved with their own batch of danger along with it. This would be no exception.

* * *

I know, I know, I toke a real long time with this chapter and I apologize for that. I've been a bit under the weather recently, so I've been having a lot of trouble working on this chapter. I'll try not to take as long when it comes to uploading, but I'm a bit ashamed to say I probably won't be able to upload a chapter daily as I have been until I fully recover. Don't worry though! I refuse to spend as long as I have to work on a chapter for this story, and I'm not abandoning it like I have so many others have on here. Still, I hope you all are enjoying the story, since I try my best to make it enjoyable to write and read.


	18. Chapter 18

It was when they reached the halfway mark of the distance it toke to reach the temple from the town when the fusion finally spoke what had been on their mind. They had merely been discussing the events that just occurred and were about to happen with themselves inside their head.

"What did you mean exactly, when you implied you were Rose Quartz _and_ Pink Diamond?" They found themselves asking, one pair of arms crossed while the one from their waist rested at their side. The idea was just purely ridiculous; Rose Quartz had _shattered_ Pink Diamond. They, as a fusion anyway, with a shared head, knew it firsthand. They knew how the diamonds and all of Pink's followers had grieved and changed, becoming solemn and being sent away to other courts respectively.

Steven wasn't really surprised when the gem asked him that question. He'd been expecting it. He just hadn't know when they would have asked. "I didn't discover it myself until around.. two years ago, when I was 14." then Steven corrected himself. "Well, I'd always known I was Rose's son-"

"Rose Quartz; the legendary leader of the rebellion against Homeworld... had a _son_?" asked Apatite. It wasn't the idea of a son in particular that surprised them. They knew exactly what a son was from Stine... part of them had been treated like one by the traitor for a long time, after all. It was the concept of Rose quartz having one that caught them off-guard.

"-Yeah. She uh... she fell in love with earth when it became her colony. So, to protect it, she took the identity of Rose Quartz and led the rebellion... she even faked her own shattering and fought in the war." explained Steven. "She gave up her gem so I could be born. Don't worry- I've still heard a lot of good things about her."

In reality? He didn't fully know how to feel himself about all of that lying and it hurting so many gems, even now as a 16-year-old. He still hadn't become fully adjusted to all of that, even before Spinel came along and ruined his view of his mom even more with how she just abandoned her '_best friend_' without much, or possibly any remorse. At least now all of those problems had been fixed. But this one still needed to be.

The next few minutes had grown to be quiet as they continued walking amongst the sand. Steven knew the fusion was just trying to process it all inside his head (which he was). However, the last thing he had expected was for the blue gem to start chuckling. The human-gem hybrid turned, with Steven's expression expression showing just a hint of concern, but mostly pure confusion.

"Now that.. that is despicable." the fusion said, clearly trying to hold back an all-out laugh. And they weren't even lying when they said that. They had probably hurt a lot of people with that scheme; for some examples, the diamonds, her court followers, and probably even the other gems in that _stupid_ _rebellion_ of hers. They probably could have come up with something just as devious and cruel, especially with all three of their heads as one. But a diamond- a _ruler_\- doing that to, not only her subjects, but fellow queens? Truly, it was wicked, even if she hadn't intended such an outcome. And all three of them could appreciate it. They, after all, toke pride in their '_evilness_'.

Steven, on the other hand, had absolutely no clue how to feel about this. He kept silent, his hands in his jacket pocket as he continued down the path, eventually reaching the Big Donut. He then said (with slight distaste at the name lion lickers), "That's the Big Donut, currently run by our previous mayor, Dewey. It basically sells food like donuts, drinks and other stuff... like lion lickers." gesturing over to the store as he kept moving, continuing the tour.

While the fusion did bat an eye over at the building, they shook their head and kept following suit after him. (Hah, pun! Get it? Cause their in a suit!) They didn't mind food very often. In fact, Zircon used to have a bit with Stine once and a while... _'eating_ _dinner as a family_', Robert used to say. Spinel and Agate, on the other hand, were a bit on the opposition of the topic.

He'd also introduced the fusion to restaurants such as Fish Stew Pizza and Beach Citywalk Fries along the boardwalk, Spacetries (a new pastry shop Lars runs), along with other places like Buddwick Public Library, Funland, and his dad's carwash. However, it was the theater that caught the gem's eye. Agate told the others that he could remember a theater, but it hadn't played films. He didn't go into any other details then that though, and the other two didn't feel the desire to find out more.

Of course, Steven was confused at why the theater of all places caught their eye, but he smiled. "Maybe I'll bring you back so we can watch a movie when we're done?" he offered. The gem turned with a bit of a scowl, but it forced itself to soften.

Zircon could remember watching a few specific movies with Stine back when they were still friends, but the other two had no real clue what they were. However, all three of them were equally curious about what kind of films it played, and they hoped that maybe watching one might satisfy their curiosity. So they faced the theater again, specifically some of the posters advertising a few minor-blockbusters, and slowly nodded.

Steven, with a little bit of excitement, turned on and continued on the path, with Apatite quickly following, a bit solemn.

* * *

Finally, after quite a walk (well, for Steven. Apatite had used teleportation to cut ahead with ease and little strain.) they had made it out of the beach-side town and reached the place known only as Little Homeworld. It was filled to the brim with colorful houses within a stone wall. But a giant, beige, hexagonal-shaped tower stood near the middle, visible from miles away. Some strange, yellow whirly-bird like structure spun at the top that not even Steven fully understood, let alone Apatite. Out front was a flag similar to the one at the Beach House, likely almost meant to represent earth (which it was).

It was home to all the uncorrupted gems and any other gem from Homeworld that wanted to find themselves. They stood at front of what was once the location of the barn, with Steven looking back at the gem with stars in his eyes and a bright smile on his face that could cause any heart to brighten. He made a 'come on' motion with his hands at the gem as he went through the entrance, wishing for them to follow. Ill be it, a bit reluctantly, they stepped through.


End file.
